Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Summer Salad...Hold The Mayo

I love summer. I love everything about summer. The sun. The heat. The water. The FOOD! I crave summer time foods year round (Yeah, I'm the girl that you will find making potato and macaroni salad while the snow falls!) but they never taste quite as good as they do in the backyard on a warm summer evening.

However, the one thing I find that most of our favorite summer dishes (especially the sides) have in common is mayo. Now, I love mayo. I eat it by the bucket loads...on sandwiches, in salads, from the jar with a spoon..okay that one might be pushing it; but it's probably my most used condiment. But during the hot summer days, sometimes mayo isn't your friend.

One, depending on the time of day, mayo can seem a little heavy. We like to eat later in the evenings during summer vacation, and a few times, salads with mayo have just seemed a little too much at that time of day. And two, this being the biggest issue, mayo and sunshine do NOT mix. If you're having any outdoor party or meal, those mayo filled salads must be kept chilled, and let's face it, that's not always practical.

So, I set out to make a delicious, summer quality salad/side dish that didn't have one ounce of mayo in it. Not one drop. I wanted something with a lot of veggies, but a light dressing that would could hold up to the heat and sunshine.

This is what I came up with. I was inspired by artichokes and olives because, well, if I'm being honest, I was just hungry for them. And the hearts of palm? If you've never had them they fall into that same category of salty, briny...mmm good. They are one of Mr. E's favorites, so I threw those in too. If you go to look for them, they are usually right next to the canned artichokes.

Feel free to add whatever veggies you love, pretty much anything would be delicious in here. In fact, I wanted to add zucchini too, and simply forgot it at the store, so it's definitely going in next time!

Summer salads are so tasty, and we all love the creamy mayo filled ones. But after you've eaten 100 lbs of those this summer, maybe something lighter could go on the menu too!

Quick Artichoke Salad

1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 (14 oz.) can hearts of palm, drained and sliced

1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, well drained

1/2 c. black olives, sliced

1/2 c. green olives, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS red wine vinegar

1 TBS lemon juice

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 TBS dried parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine and toss all veggies. In a small bowl whisk together oil, vinegar lemon juice and garlic powder. Pour over veggies. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

The Everyday Family

Meet Your Everyday Mom

I am the every day mom in "Everyday Mom's Meals". I am a full time wife and mother. Adam and I have been married since May 2003, but together since May 1997. We have two beautiful sons, Alex & Max. Alex is 12 and a VERY active young man. He is a Tae Kwon Do National Champion and straight A student. We just welcomed Max in August of this year, and he has completed our family. We enjoy spending time together, and some of our best times are spent around our dining room table eating down to earth, family friendly, easy to make food. Please join me in my kitchen, and on our family adventures!
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